How old, is old enough?

[dchronister]

How old were your kids when you let them go on their own at Disney. I have two girls and they like to do their own thing, but I'm afraid that this trip they will probably be disappointed, I just can't do it yet. They are 15 and 13. Maybe 15 and 17, maybe next trip. My 19 year old nephew is going this trip, but he isn't going to want to drag them everywhere. Would anybody let them go alone at this age?

 

[Castillo Mom]

I think it depends on the maturity level and trustworthiness of your child, so I guess it's a case by case basis. One time we let the boys hang out on their own in Disney Quest when they were 10, 12 and eldest had just turned 15. DH and I went salsa dancing at Bongos Cuban Cafe for a few hours.

We've also been AP holders at DLR over the years and I would let them go off on their own every once in a while, but they knew the park like the back of their hand. They haven't done this very often though, oddly enough they still like hanging around with the adults in our family. They're 17, 19 and 21 now.

If you're asking whether they can go on the trip without you and there will only be a 19 year old along, then I would probably say no. My boys have never been to WDW or DLR without adults. My boys are trying to plan a possible trip to WDW for Star Wars Weekends and I'm a little nervous about it. Not because they can't be trusted, it would be their first trip without me and completely on their own.

 

[dolphindan1]

I left my 10 year old to ride RnR over and over for about 45 mins while the oldest son and I went to ToT...we went on RnR first with the 10 year old showed him how to get on and exit and get back in line and he was fine...he got 5 rides in while we were at ToT...he loved it...just a small piece of independence and trust building...that same trip I had a friend lined up to go with us for my then 13 year old...I had every intention of letting them explore the same park we were in on their own...I think 13 to 14 is a good age to give them some freedom with limits...

 

[~Tonga Wingo~]

I don't have kids but when I was 13 I was babysitting my sister at home and would often be dropped off at the movies etc by myself to meet friends. This is a lot different than Disney though. I think it would depend on their maturity level and how well they can navigate etc. If you are worried, maybe start small and see how they do? For instance, if you are at MK and you are primarily going to be in Fantasyland, tell them to stay in that section or let them go off for an hour before lunch and meet you to eat. I think at 15, she should definitely be able to go off on her own and the 13 yr old should be fine with her sister. If they have cell phones, just make them check in with you, even via text every so often or set up check in times.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) We let our kids and grandkids roam early.
2) At ages 7 & 10. they were on their own.
3) Rules
. . . meet at specific times in specific places
. . . can spend the money they brought and today's allowance
. . . must stay together
. . . before they left us, they had to tell us their general direction
. . . and, if possible, the rides they wanted to do
4) Never had a problem.
5) And, frequently, they just stayed with us.
6) Knowing they could roam seemed to be more important than roaming.

 

[Howellsy]

I was 13 and it was my first trip when my parents let me go off alone. We stayed in the Poly though so I just hopped on the monorail and went to MK/Epcot. They've trusted me on my own from a young age though. I think it depends on the maturity of the child, and it can also depend on how well they know the parks. I have a good sense of direction and I've never been worried about getting lost, which can be scary for some people.

Because we were staying on site I think my parents knew if anything happened I could always jump straight on the bus/monorail and head back to the resort.

 

[lllGurulll]

We waited for our kids to be 48" tall so they would be able to experience everything. They have each been at least 6 years old or older on their first trip.

 

[Matty_Disfan]

I was 13 and my brother was 15 on our second trip and our folks let us go one day to the MK. We took the bus from the Grosvenor (1988) and went straight to SM (who would have guessed), then hit POTC and some other rides, checked out Main Street and met up with them back at the hotel for dinner on the Empress Lilly at the Marketplace (heh, couldn't help but old-school name-drop).

We were fine, and we were not super-mature or anything. We had a paper route that year which we used to pay for part of the trip so we were used to doing things independantly and reliably.

I recall that the main issue from our parents was making sure that we did not lose our tickets.

They should be fine. There are always CMs around so if someone approached them they would always have someone to inform. The bus system is easy to navigate and the fact that I remember my first solo day at MK in such detail should tell you what kind of experience it was....

 

[Alesia]

Assuming they're trustworthy and basically responsible, I would absolutely let them go off by themselves in the park. Statistically, they would be much safer in a Disney park than they would be at home alone.

 

[skaliscik]

my family went the year I was 15 and my brother was 14 and we were allowed to go to the parks alone but we had to stay together. I vaguely remember that we only took them up on it twice...seperating from them in MK but they were still in the park and staying late at Epcot one night after they went back to the hotel. Other than that, I don't think we cared about going off on our own..we were just glad we could LOL

 

[floreksa]

The last time I went to Disney I was 17 and my sister 15 (won't say how many years ago that was! LOL). My mom BEGGED us to go on our own. LOL My sister wanted nothing to do with it though. It was a "family" vacation.

My thought process is the 15 yr old will be DRIVING soon. That alone is an awesome amount of responsibility and trust coming, but you know your kids. Maybe try a few hours the first day of everyone being in the same park. Give them a small leash and see how they do. Lay down rules you can live w/ (they have to stay together, they have to text you every hour, and be on time at meet up?) See how they do. See how you do..You may be surprised and they don't want to go at it alone. LOL

Its hard. I'm no where near thinking about something like that yet. I just remember that at 13, I was routinely babysitting for 2 different families of 3, both with infants.

 

[YodaGirl]

I've seen this question asked a few times, and I'm definitely in the minority on this, which is fine. Everyone has their own opinion.

From personal experience, My brother and I were 17/15 and 18/16, respectively, for two of our trips. It never even occured to us to ask to go off on our own, unless you count when we went through the line at Space Mountain by ourselves (My parents hung around in a shop in Tomorrowland or did something else nearby. They were there when we came out.). We were there as a family, so we did things together as a family.

I don't even remember there being an instance where we were upset because we had to wait for someone. We all liked (and disliked) the same rides (for the most part). At 15, ToT had recently opened. I wanted to ride, but no one else did. We went through the que together, and everyone else took the chicken elevator back down.

What will I do? My kids will be 4 1/2 years apart. I definitely can't see sending someone younger than 16 off by themselves, so unless we go when the kids are 16 & 20, I doubt that they'd be going off by themselves together. Of course, with DD being so much older, I might do 15 & 19, but definitely not younger than 15. There are too many issues that can come from that, and I'm not just talking about the person hanging around with bad intentions. Even the best behaved kids can get into trouble without parents present (okay, sometimes even with parents present, but the chances are lower).

As a whole, I'm just not comfortable about it. Many people are, and that's fine, too. I remember reading a comment from someone who had let their 12 yr old park hop by themselves. It's not something that I would do, but ultimately it comes down to the parent. If you honestly feel that it would be okay, and you don't have any hesitation about it, I'd say go for it. Everyone knows the stuff that CAN go wrong, and we all know that, on average, none of that stuff does.

It sounds like you're pretty leary about it. If that's the case, I would say don't do it. Would you be able to relax and have a good time, or would you be too concerned with how they are doing? If they don't go off by themselves, it won't be the end of the world. This is one of those instances where just because it's right for other families, doesn't mean that it's right for your family.

 

[The 6 J's]

Methinks there is a big difference between "you can go do what you want today" or just splitting up within a park for a bit. Either one of these could be right for your kids at their ages, IMO, but that's really up for you to decide. I would just suggest, and this is fairly obvious, that you do one before the other. If you're not sure now try it out on day 1. Get to the park for that day, do a couple things, then ask what they want to do. Maybe on the spot plan about an hour or so for them to go off on their own and meet up afterwards. See how it went. Go from there and good luck!

 

[rock_doctor]

sorry double post

 

[rock_doctor]

If you leave them at the entrance of the park (once inside) then i think it would be ok. There are so many people in the parks and most are with their own kids. There are hundred of thousands for them to ask questions to if they have any issues. I would not let them travel alone in WDW. The first time i was in the MK alone i was 8 but i had already been tons of times so knew the park very well. No issues, wasn't as much fun w/o the family though. If they have a cell phone with them then they are probably ok. Kids are much more independent now a days. Go with what you are comfortable, if you are not sure then don't do it.

 

[Hannathy]

I would have absolutely no problem with a 13 and 15 yr old alone for the day or evening at Disney. That is plenty "old enough"

You do realize that thousands and thousands of High schools go to Disney yearly and those kids go off on their own for the day?

I would hope that by 15 and even 13 yr kids have been off on their own to the mall, shopping, parks, etc, Disney is safer.

When my DD was 14 she and her 8 yr old brother went off on their own to do stuff at Disney. She even stayed in Epcot by herself to shop and came back on the bus to Pop. At 15 she was in Italy with orchestra and they went off on their own (well 2 of them) for whole days in a country they didn't speak the language, and you are worried about Disney?

Kids need to be given independence to grow and learn, their is no maturity fairy that when they turn 18 they suddenly know what to do it hey have never been given the chance to learn.

So yes 13 and 15 is old enough to go off on their own at Disney. What are you afraid of?

 

[sharona]

My cousin and I were 13 when we were allowed to go off together to do our own thing. We stayed off site though so this was after we were all in the park (MK was all there was!!!!!). There was no hopping or heading back to the resort option. We would have a designated meet time/place for lunch and/or dinner. We enjoyed the freedom but also chose to spend a lot of time with our families - we didn't go off for the whole day.

With the easy access to other parks and back to onsite resorts, I would be firm about everyone being in the same park and no one leaves to go back to the resort w/out checking in with Mom or Dad. If they both have cell phones, and are trusted at home to be at the mall alone or the park etc., I don't see a reason to change that at WDW.

 

[jking6]

I think it really depends on how familiar they are with Disney. I can say as a parent of 5 ages 19 to 32 it would depend on that. I would not let them go from park to park alone or DTD alone to roam but if you are in the same park and they have a cell phone to reach you and know how to get around that park let them have a little private time. Maybe for the first time make them stay in a specific area or something. I did this when our youngest DD was 15 her and her cousin wanted to ride splash mountain again so we let them head over well my DH and I took time to meet up with them. it worked great...

 

[Pixieflip]

What if you start with baby steps? You sit down in one place and have a drink or something and let the girls go do a ride together and come back to you. Might be 30 minutes or so and you'll know where they are the whole time. See how you feel. If it goes well, you can do it again.

If they have a cell phone, I'd feel pretty comfortable. And as previously stated, letting them go off for a couple of hours and meeting up again is vastly different than just sending them off for the day. I would stay in the same park for kids that age and make sure they have a cell phone and a plan. Texting usually works best as rides and crowds make it hard to hear the ring or even talk on a phone (so don't worry if they don't answer you RIGHT away...they will. ). If they had an emergency, they'd call you right away, I'm sure of it.

Giving them some freedom will MAKE THEIR VACATION!! They will remember the trip as a fun and awesome time with you. Trust me, I have three teenagers and one preteen!! Have them take pictures of their adventures, too, they'll love to show you what they did.

 

[mott]

We were in Disneyland when DD was 11. She wanted to ride BTMR and DD 8 wanted to go to Tom Sawyer Island - which we had promised her we would do. They are located very close to each other and we decided to let her be on her own. The park was NOT very crowded.

This trip, she will be 14 and we will be going when it is busy...not sure what we are going to do. I'm guessing she will want to go off by herself. We might let her go for short periods if she asks. If she had a friend or cousin with, then we might let them go for longer.